November 19 DVD roundup

Quite a few mainstream titles this week, plus a number of BD debuts. Christmas lists coming next week.

Mainstream: 2 Guns; Paranoia; Planes; We’re the Millers; The World’s EndIndependent: All Is Bright; Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus; The To Do List; Violet & Daisy; And While We Were HereBD debut: Assault On Precinct 13; Eve Of Destruction; Night Of The Comet; Star Trek – The Next Generation; Tank Girl; The World’s End / Hot Fuzz / Shaun of the Dead TrilogyDocumentary: InformantForeign: SanguivorousTV: Danguard Ace; Here’s Edie; Treme; When Calls The HeartBritish TV: Christmas AngelKids: Jake and the Never Land Pirates; The Little Mermaid II / Ariel’s Beginning

Usual rules apply: synopses are taken from the press releases and Amazon descriptions; snarky commentary is extra; and preview links go to YouTube’s preview pages. Rotten Tomatoes ratings are included where available. Prices include Amazon links so you can purchase them online (and cheaper to boot!).

2 Guns
Universal, 110 minutes, R
DVD retail price: $29.98Amazon DVD price: $17.99
BD/DVD with digital copy: $34.98Amazon BD/DVD/DC price: $22.99
Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 64%
When an attempt to take down a drug cartel kingpin (Edward James Olmos) blows up in their faces, two undercover operatives (Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg) are forced to go on the run together, though neither knows that the other is a federal agent. Suddenly, everyone on both sides of the law wants them dead, and their only hope is to trust each other. Also stars Bill Paxton, Paula Patton, James Marsden. DVD extras: alternate scenes, commentary, deleted scenes, featurette BD extras: featurettes, Ultraviolet digital copy.

Christmas Angel
BBC Home Entertainment, 90 minutes, G
DVD retail price: $19.98Amazon DVD price: $16.98
Fifteen year old Eddie (Joseph Phillips) is on a shopping trip with his mother (Brenda Blethyn) when she is tragically struck by a car and left in critical condition. With their father absent from their lives, Eddie and his brother Stewart (Angus Harrison) face the daunting prospect of potentially losing their mother just as Christmas approaches. One night, Eddie dreams his mother visits him and tells him to find a halo so that she may be saved. Stewart scoffs at Eddie’s “childish” dream and the only person Eddie can turn to is the grumpy Mr. Lambert (Timothy Spall), from his school. No extras listed.

Danguard Ace: The Movie Collection
Shout! Factory, 330 minutes, not rated, 2 episodes, 2 discs
DVD retail price: $19.97Amazon DVD price: $17.94
A new planet named Promete is on the verge of entering our solar system. The World Space Institute tries to reach this new world to tap its resources, but a mysterious malfunction leads to tragic consequences for the brave space pilots and their mission. Years later, the next generation of pilots, including Takuma, the son of an astronaut who disappeared during the first attempt to reach Promete, trains for a new voyage to the mysterious planet. Takuma and his friends are stationed at Jasdam Base, a high-tech facility where construction has begun on Danguard Ace, a transforming robot that Takuma is destined to pilot. No extras listed.

Eve Of Destruction: Collector’s Edition
Shout! Factory, 100 minutes, R
BD retail price: $19.97Amazon BD price: $16.98
Android Eve VIII (Renée Soutendijk), created in the image of her inventor, has gone into an irreversable rampage, stalking and killing anyone she perceives to be a threat. Terrorism expert Jim McQuade (Gregory Hines) is tasked with finding and deactivating her before she goes nuclear, literally. No extras listed.

Informant
Music Box Films, 81 minutes, not rated
DVD retail price: $29.95Amazon DVD price: $26.98
Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 94%
Documentary about Brandon Darby, a radical left-wing activist who famously went to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to rescue a stranded friend. After two protesters were arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention, it was revealed that Darby had become an FBI informant. Today, he is a right-wing Tea Party activist and Breitbart.com writer. Also stars David McKay, Scott Crow. No extras listed.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Never Land Rescue
Disney, 148 minutes, not rated
DVD retail price: $19.99Amazon DVD price: $14.99
Disney Jr. cartoon has Jake investigating why his sword has vanished, then Izzy’s pixe dust, and Cubby’s map goes blank. It turns out that the Forever Tree, source of all magic in Neverland, is dying. Jake goes on a quest to reacquire all three items before sundown. Of course, Capt. Hook is on the same quest. No extras listed.

Night Of The Comet: Collector’s Edition
Shout! Factory, 9 minutes, PG-13
BD retail price: $29.93Amazon BD price: $24.99
Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 83%
It’s the first comet to buzz the planet in 65 million years, but Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) and her sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney) care more about fashion trends. When the girls discover that most of L.A’s residents t vaporized or turned into a zombie, they do what all good Valley Girls do…they go shopping! But when their day of malling threatens to become a day of mauling, these gals flee with killer zombies and blood-seeking scientists in hot pursuit! BD extras: cast interviews, commentary, photo gallery.

Sanguivorous
MVD Visual, 56 minutes, not rated
DVD retail price: $16.90Amazon DVD price: $15.26
A young woman suffering strange hallucinations and physical ailments discovers that she is the descendant of an ancient line of European vampires, and she and her boyfriend are soon captured by older vampires and drawn into the darkness. In Japanese with English subtitles. No extras listed.

Star Trek – The Next Generation: Season 5
CBS / Paramount, 1 182 minutes, not rated, 26 episodes, 6 discs
BD retail price: $129.99Amazon BD price: $77.99
Fifth season of TNG features the episodes “Darmok,” “Cause and Effect,” the two-part “Unification,” and the Hugo Award-winning “The Inner Light.” Includes all previously released extras, plus a documentary on series creator Gene Roddenberry, who died during the season; and a featurette on the music of TNG. BD extras: deleted scenes, episode commentary, gag reel.

Tank Girl: Collector’s Edition
Shout! Factory, 103 minutes, R
BD/DVD: $24.97Amazon BD/DVD price: $21.98
Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 40%
The year’s 2033, a humongous meteor hit earth, civilization has been destroyed, and a majority of the scarce water supply is being held in reserve by Water & Power, whose leader, Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell), uses the water to control the world’s population. Two enemies stand in his way: The Rippers – an army of half-men/half-kangaroo people whose sole purpose is to bring down the Water & Power and a woman with a tank and tons of attitude – aka Tank Girl (Lori Petty). Also stars Ice-T, Naomi Watts, Don Harvey, Jeff Kober. BD extras: cast interviews, commentary, featurette.

Treme: The Complete Third Season
HBO Studios, 636 minutes, not rated, 10 episodes, 4 discs
DVD retail price: $39.98Amazon DVD price: $34.99
BD retail price: $49.99Amazon BD price: $44.99
Third season of show focusing on Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. There’s money coming into the Crescent City now, but everyone mistrusts it because of the strings that always seem to be attached to it. DVD extras: episode commentary, featurettes.

Violet & Daisy
Cinedigm, 88 minutes, R
DVD retail price: $29.95Amazon DVD price: $26.96
BD/DVD: $34.95Amazon BD/DVD price: $29.99
Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) are a pair of assassins who casually snuff out crime figures in New York City, distracted only by their favorite pop idol Barbie Sunday. Determined to raise cash for a pair of Barbie Sunday dresses, the duo takes on a new hit job, only to face a reckoning in the form of a mysterious loner (James Gandolfini). Also stars Danny Trejo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste. No extras listed.

When Calls The Heart
Hallmark, 89 minutes, not rated
DVD retail price: $19.98
Elizabeth (Poppy Drayton), a young high society teacher, receives her first classroom post in a prairie town in the Western Frontier. She struggles with fears and doubts until she discovers her late Aunt Elizabeth’s (Maggie Grace) diary, who had set off on a similar adventure. Aunt Elizabeth also struggled with prairie life and eventually met and fell in love with a Royal Canadian Mountie (Stephen Amell). The young Elizabeth decides to put her future in God’s hands and embark on her own adventure where she uses the diary as her guide as well as Edward, another Mountie (Daniel Sharman), sworn to see her arrive. Directed by Michael Landon Jr. and based on the best-selling books by Janette Oke. Appears to be a Wal-Mart exclusive. No extras listed.

And While We Were Here
Well Go USA, 83 minutes, R
DVD retail price: $24.98Amazon DVD price: $21.98
BD retail price: $29.98Amazon BD price: $26.98
Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 45%
Jane (Kate Bosworth) is writing her grandmother’s (voice of Claire Bloom) memoir when she accompanies her husband (Iddo Goldberg) on a business trip to the Amalfi coast. She eventually seeks the romantic embrace of a younger man (Jamie Blackley). Also includes director Kat Coiro’s original B&W version.